Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: Modern AU, Shireen is shocked to discover she is pregnant with Rickon's baby. When she tells him he vows to be there for her, however they face the daunting tasks of informing their families, getting through the difficulties of pregnancy and of course, being teen parents. Will they pull through, or be dragged down? Main pairings: Rickon/Shireen, Arya/Gendry
1. Chapter 1

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 1 of a new GOT modern AU story, hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was a bright clear day, but for one occupant of the house, that didn't mean much. Said occupant was a young girl, around seventeen years of age, she had long black hair and blue eyes, as well as pale skin, a firm jaw and rather prominent ears. The left side of her face was mottled and grey, scars left by a bout of the greyscale virus she suffered as a young child.

The girl's name was Shireen Baratheon, the daughter and only child of Stannis Baratheon and his wife, Selyse. This also made her the niece of Westeros' President Robert Baratheon who was her father's older brother. Shireen was a shy child, mostly due to her deformity; yet also due to the distance and coldness of her parents, or in her mother's case, her desire to control her.

However recently she had begun to change, much to her mother's displeasure, becoming more confident and stronger, thanks to the friends she had made in high school; one them being her boyfriend, seventeen year old Rickon Stark. Thinking of Rickon however made Shireen's smile waver as she looked at the timer she was holding in her hands.

' _Still not yet.'_ She thought to herself. _'But what am I going to do, if it is?'_

Lately Shireen had been feeling rather strange, experiencing some illness like symptoms, throwing up a lot. She had panicked, fearful and, to try and find out the truth, she had bought a pregnancy test. She had just used it and was waiting for the result.

She had locked herself in the bathroom, taken the test and now sat waiting, rocking back and forth, biting her lip. Her palms were sweating and she was trembling. She quickly wiped her hands on her skirt, looking down at her clothes. She hoped it wouldn't be much longer, especially as her parents would become suspicious, also it was a school day after all; she had made all her preparations last night and so, just needed to pull her shoes on and pick up her school bag before going to school.

That meant she was also dressed for school; unlike most schools she had known, her school did not have a uniform dress code. So long as the students followed a few simple rules regarding decency, they could wear what they wanted. For Shireen, she was currently clad in a pale purple knee length skirt with a white blouse and purple flats.

That raised another worrying thought. _'School, what if I am pregnant, what am I going to do? I need to, I need to think…'_

If her worst fears were confirmed, she needed to think about what she was going to do regarding school. This would be especially important when it became impossible to hide the truth. She also had to think about her friends and, most importantly, Rickon, how could she tell him, if it turned out to be true, that she was pregnant.

As if responding to her worries and thoughts, at that moment the timer dinged and Shireen jumped. She found herself trembling violently as she turned her gaze towards the test.

' _Oh Gods, Oh Gods, please no, I…'_ Her thoughts raced as she tried to step forwards, only to find herself hesitating, terror gripping her.

But she couldn't leave this, she had to know, it was the only way.

She reminded herself of a saying Rickon's older sister Arya, who was also friends with Shireen, was fond of; one she had learned from her fencing lessons.

' _Calm as still water, calm as still water.'_

Encouraged by this she approached the test and, with trembling fingers, picked it up and checked it. All at once all feeling left her, the test fell from her hands to the floor. But still, that unforgiving pink plus sign burned in front of her eyes. She stumbled and would have fallen if she hadn't caught the sink. She stared into the mirror, having long since gotten over her hatred of her own reflection, her eyes were wide and she was paler than usual.

She let out a shaky breath. _'No, oh Gods, please no…I, I'm pregnant. But, but what am I…Rickon, how do I…?'_

Shireen continued to tremble and then jumped, startled when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Shireen, are you alright?" It was her father. "You're going to be late."

She cleared her throat. "I…I'll be right out dad."  
She heard him leave and she quickly disposed of the pregnancy test and, composing herself, left the bathroom.

She headed downstairs and joined her family for breakfast; trying to keep herself calm. Her insides were tying themselves in knots however. She ate, praying she wouldn't bring the food back up. She glanced at her parents; she had inherited her black hair and blue eyes from her father, as well as her firm jaw.

Her prominent ears were a trait inherited from her mother, who had dark brown hair and brown eyes instead. While her father ate, remaining stoic as usual, Shireen could see her mother was glaring.

' _She's trying to find something to complain about, again.'_ Shireen realized sadly.

Ever since Shireen started dating Rickon and became more confident and open with herself, Selyse grew more and more frustrated, as she no longer had any control over her daughter. She disapproved of Rickon and belittled and spoke against him at every opportunity. Not only that, Shireen used to wear clothes her mother insisted on her wearing, always covering up, modest, some might even say stuffy or old fashioned.

But now, she wore clothes she preferred, while hardly revealing they showed a little more than her mother's preference. This was something else Selyse grew angry about, feeling Shireen was heading down the wrong path.

' _Not only that, she thinks Rickon is forcing me; she just can't accept I'm my own person.'_ Shireen thought sadly.

Luckily, before Selyse could start, when breakfast was finished, Stannis spoke up.

"Would you like a lift to school, Shireen?" He asked.

Shireen smiled, her father was distant, but at least he tried.

She shook her head, replying politely. "No, thank you dad, I'll be alright."

Stannis nodded in acceptance and soon they left the house, Shireen walking to school, her fears over her pregnancy mounting.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	2. Chapter 2

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 2 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, well a mixed blessing really, considering her age and of course, how others might react.  
wazzup11: Thanks, well, I'd consider it more of a drama really, although there should be some funny or sweet moments within it.  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Maria: Thanks, here you go :)  
dirkadirka: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well, yeah, compared to his wife, Stannis is the good parent. Sorry but I won't be revealing any other pairings yet, all but one will be revealed (the last is merely mentioned) in the next chapter. Afraid I'm more of a Theon/Jeyne fan however so no, sorry, yes of course we'll see Ned, we'll see the whole Stark family. Not really considered that, plus not really relevant for the story.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it and glad you liked them both :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks and yeah, you're right, poor girl.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Shireen bit her lip as she entered the school gates, this was it.

' _I have to be careful now; here I am, at school again, only this time I'm…'_ She thought to herself, resisting the urge to touch her stomach.

She didn't want to give anything away regarding her pregnancy, she wasn't ready for that, not for the scrutiny or the disappointment or cruel teasing or anything. Taking a breath she prepared herself and began walking into the school building. A few people said hello to her, she replied as calmly as she could, not wanting to lose that interaction just yet. When she first came to school, shy and withdrawn, nobody spoke to her.

Nobody except her two closest friends, then Rickon met her and gradually she opened up. Now more people spoke to her, even if they were mere acquaintances, they would say hello and she would respond. Finally, before long, she spotted them, her group of friends, it had grown slightly. The first people she observed were two boys, both the same age as her. One had black hair and blue eyes, the other's eyes and hair were brown.

They were also dressed differently, the brown haired boy in casual jeans and T-shirt. The black haired boy wore classy trousers and a shirt, along with simple shoes. These two were her closest friends; she had known them since she was five, Edric Storm and Devan Seaworth.

The next person she noted was a girl, around fifteen, with curly auburn hair and brown eyes, as well as pale skin. She was clad in a bright knee length dress and matching flats. This was Beth Cassel, a girl from the North who was friends with the Starks.

The final person she noticed made her bite her lip, her heartbeat speeding up as she saw him. He was the same age as her, with wild messy auburn hair that came to the nape of his neck, blue eyes and pale skin. He was quite tall and had a reasonably toned build; he was dressed casually in simple jeans and a black T-shirt with the image of a skeleton, viewed side on with wide eyes, a punk style Mohawk giving the middle finger along with the words, in red 'Punk is not dead, Fuck the system'. To finish the outfit he wore simple, scuffed black sneakers. This was her boyfriend, Rickon Stark.

' _And also the father of my child.'_ Shireen thought to herself as she approached them.

Just the thought of it made her nervous; she worried about his reaction. They had only had sex three times during the time they had been dating.

Shireen shook her head. _'I was so sure we'd been safe, using protection each time…but well, it's clear, the last time, we didn't.'_

All this passed through her mind as she finally reached the group. They looked up and smiled as they saw her.

"Hey Shireen." Beth greeted her cheerfully.

Shireen did her best to smile back. "Hi Beth, hey guys."

The boys nodded and Rickon stepped forwards, Shireen didn't even hesitate, this still felt natural, they hugged and briefly kissed before stepping back, staying next to each other, their arms around each other's waists.

They soon lapsed into their usual discussions, mostly about things that had happened to them since they had last seen or spoken to each other. Devan and Edric were chatting away excitedly about a new video game that had come out. Rickon joined in with their talk, while also talking to Beth about her friend, Rickon's oldest sister, Sansa, who apparently had called, Beth seemed excited about this.

She hadn't seen Sansa since Sansa had graduated high school. As the youngest of five children, Rickon was the only one still in school, the rest in college or working full-time, or part time in the case of his other sister, Arya. Shireen, while normally quiet, would occasionally comment, but for some reason, she was very quiet today, not saying anything. The others noticed this and were concerned.

"Shireen?" Rickon said softly.

Shireen jumped as if startled and turned to him. "Y-yes?"

She then noticed the others all looking at her worriedly.

Devan then spoke up. "Is everything okay, you look kinda…distracted about something?"

Shireen smiled, although to the others it seemed forced. "I'm fine, sorry, I was just…thinking."

The others shared a look and Shireen could tell they didn't believe her. Luckily however they didn't say anything else and soon they all went their separate ways, heading for their classes as the bell rang to signal the beginning of the school day.

* * *

It was finally lunch time and Shireen was sure she was going to be a nervous wreck by the end of the day. She knew her friends were aware of how differently she was acting, she was afraid they would find out. She wasn't ready for that, especially not for Rickon finding out. However right now, she was sitting at the lunch table with Beth and Rickon, Devan and Edric weren't with them yet.

She could tell from their expressions they were worried and confused and braced herself for the oncoming questions.

Sure enough Beth spoke up. "Shireen, is everything alright?"

Shireen nodded. "Yeah of course, you asked me this morning and…

"Shireen, please, you've been acting strange all day, we're worried." Rickon told her softly.

"Rickon's right, if something's wrong; you know you can tell us, the boys too." Beth added.

Shireen bit her lip, shaking her head. She hated the thought of lying to her friends, it was wrong. But she couldn't bring herself to talk about her pregnancy, especially not in front of Rickon, it was his reaction she feared most of all.

' _Oh Rickon, what would you say if you knew?'_ She thought sadly to herself. _'But I can't hide it forever, but not now, I just…don't have the courage.'_

So she did her best to smile and replied. "I'm telling the truth guys, I'm fine. I was just lost in thought this morning. But thank you, for what you said, it's good to have reassurance like that."

Beth and Rickon looked at each other dubiously, but dropped the subject. Shireen meanwhile ate her lunch, praying she could keep it down.

* * *

It was towards the end of lunch; Beth was in the girl's toilet, washing her hands when she heard it. A groan she recognized as Shireen's before suddenly hearing her retch and throw up. Panicked she turned towards the closed cubicle and approached. As the noise subsided Beth called out.

"Shireen?"

She heard Shireen's gasp, the sound of the toilet flushing and then the cubicle door opened. Shireen looked paler than Beth had ever seen her, she looked panicked too. She quickly hurried to the sink and rinsed her mouth out, washing her face too.

"What's wrong, are you alright?" Beth asked worriedly.

Shireen let out a sigh and nodded. "I…I'll be fine Beth, don't worry about it, it was probably something I ate."

With that Shireen left, heading for her next class. Beth watched her go, shaking her head. She didn't buy that excuse one bit, she knew with certainty now, Shireen was hiding something.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	3. Chapter 3

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 3 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **wazzup11: I'm afraid so, well, wait and see what happens.  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you liked me including them and Beth :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, and yeah.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, we can only wait and see.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Rickon smiled as he walked home; apart from Shireen's strange behaviour, school went pretty well today.

' _All the same, Shireen, something was wrong with her today.'_ He thought to himself. _'She tried to hide it, but; I could see it. Beth said she was throwing up too, I don't understand it.'_

He was still thinking about this when he finally reached the door of his family's home. He opened the door and stepped inside, calling out as he did so.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!"

As he called out his mother, Catelyn Stark walked into the hall, smiling as she saw her youngest son.

"Rickon, welcome home." She said warmly.

Rickon grinned. "Hey mum."

As he put down his schoolbag and removed his sneakers, his father, Eddard Stark entered.

Rickon turned to his father and grinned. "Hi dad."

"Hello Rickon." Ned greeted his youngest son happily before announcing. "I just got off the phone Cat; Arya called, said she and Gendry might visit us soon."

Cat smiled, although it was slightly shaky. "Excellent. Oh I can hardly wait; it's been so long since we last saw them, and little Nymeria."

Rickon also smiled; eager for the visit. Nymeria was Arya and her and husband Gendry's daughter.

"Is anyone else coming?" He asked.

Ned nodded. "Yes, of course, they'll all be coming."

Rickon grinned wider, his siblings would be coming home, he could hardly wait.

Later; Rickon was in the living room with his parents as they waited. Before long there was a knock at the door; Catelyn went to answer it and soon the first of Rickon's siblings arrived. It was the oldest of Ned and Cat's children, twenty-seven year old Robb with his wife, Talisa; who was the same age.

Like most of Ned and Cat's children, including Rickon; Robb took after their mother in appearance, with auburn hair and blue eyes. Talisa was from Volantis and therefore had smooth light brown skin with long black hair and eyes; she and Robb had met at college, she had been studying medicine, becoming a nurse upon graduation.

Robb had been studying politics, planning to follow in his father's footsteps as Governor of the North. They were both dressed neatly, Robb in smart clothing and Talisa in a plain but elegant dress.

"Hi mum." Robb said warmly as he hugged his mother.

Cat smiled, returning the hug. "Oh Robb, it's so good to see you again.

Talisa grinned as she also greeted Cat and both greeted Ned; Rickon stepped forwards, embracing his oldest brother.

"Hey Robb."

Robb laughed. "Hey Rickon, Gods, you've grown, you're nearly as tall as me."

Rickon also laughed and soon they were all seated in the living room; they spent time talking, passing time, talking about what Robb and Talisa had been up to over the years. Merely half an hour later, the door went again, Catelyn answered it once more, the others listened and waited.

Catelyn entered again, this time, following her was a tall muscular man of twenty-seven with shaggy black hair and blue eyes, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. It was Arya's husband Gendry. Arya herself entered; Arya was twenty-two, with shoulder length brown hair and grey eyes, much like her father; Arya too was dressed casually.

Arya had her daughter Nymeria on her hip, a cute little girl of two years old, with black hair and grey eyes.

They all smiled and greeted them, Catelyn's smile was slightly nervous. Arya was always the wild child of the family; something which caused her mother to despair, they argued about Arya's behaviour, very different from her older sister, Sansa. Then came Arya dating Gendry, a boy five years older than her, then, at twenty, Arya ended up pregnant.

Catelyn was shocked by this and it had resulted in even more arguments. Two years on however, Catelyn regretted those arguments and wished there was some way to fix things. While Arya no longer seemed to get angry at her mother, things just weren't the same between them.

"It's lovely to see you all again." Catelyn said at last.

Arya nodded, also smiling, slightly awkward. She gently set Nymeria down and she immediately walked to her uncle Rickon.

"Hey Nymeria." He said happily, picking her up and sitting her on his lap.

Arya and Gendry grinned and sat down, joining the rest of the family; waiting for the rest of them. It did not take long for the other to arrive, Ned and Cat's fourth child, twenty-one year old Bran Stark and his long-term girlfriend, twenty-six year old Meera Reed.

Thankfully, Catelyn and the family had dealt with their issues regarding Arya and Gendry's relationship when Bran and Meera's were revealed. So there weren't as many issues and concerns.

"Hey everyone." Bran greeted with a grin.

Ned grinned. "Hello Bran."

Meera also smiled and greeted them. "Hi there."

Her smile widened as little Nymeria clambered down from Rickon's lap and ran to them.

"Awww." Meera remarked as the little girl hugged her leg.

Arya grinned. "I honestly don't know where Nymeria gets all her energy from."

Bran laughed. "Really Arya, I thought it was obvious."

The others also laughed as Arya mock glared at Bran.

Soon they were all seated and talking about what they had been up to since they had last met. It was a great relief to the family to find they had all hardly changed; they were still much the same as they had always been, personality wise. The only exception was that Arya was perhaps a little more mature than she normally was. Most likely due to now being a mother.

Catelyn sighed. _'Yet despite her fears, thinking she'd be a terrible mother. But Arya's doing a great job with little Nymeria.'_

It was that, seeing her granddaughter; that made Catelyn feel guilty about all the arguments she'd had with her youngest daughter. Just then the door went again and she went to answer it; smiling as she saw their last guest, twenty-four year old Sansa and her twenty-four year boyfriend, Podrick Payne, a man with short dark hair and eyes; he was dressed neatly while Sansa's dress was very smart and stylish.

"Sansa, Podrick; welcome, it's good to see you again."

Sansa beamed. "Hi mum, thanks, it's good to see you too."

They stepped in and soon joined the others, all greeting each other warmly.

"Hi everyone." Sansa greeted happily.

The others all greeted them; Sansa then spotted Arya and bit her lip. She recalled how she had always sided with their mother during the arguments. It had affected their relationship negatively. Thankfully Arya smiled when she saw her sister.

"Hey Sansa; nice to see you." She said calmly; adjusted Nymeria's position on her lap.

Nymeria gave her aunt a toothy grin and waved. Sansa's heart melted, it seemed that all the tension and problems caused by the issues from the arguments were being healed. All thanks to her niece, with her sweet innocence mending the breaches.

It was later on, just after the family had finished dinner, Rickon was enjoying himself, chatting away to Arya; Gendry was cradling Nymeria who was taking a nap. Just then his phone went and he excused himself to answer it. He smiled when he saw it was Shireen.

"Hi Shireen." He said cheerfully as he answered the phone.

"Rickon…" She replied; her voice was shaking slightly.

Rickon tensed, worried again.

Shireen replied after a pause. "I…I need to talk to you, in private, it's, it's urgent."

Rickon was grimaced but then replied. "Alright; I'll, I'll be right there."

He hung up and told his parents about what just happened, they accepted and he pulled his shoes on before leaving, confused and worried about Shireen.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, a little look into the life of the Stark family in this story, read and review please.


	4. Chapter 4

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 4 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **wazzup11: Thanks, well, wait and see what happens; enjoy :)  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you like her.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you liked the Starks and little Nymeria :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
CadeTheSlowpoke: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Rickon was concerned as he walked towards the park where he and Shireen usually met up to hang out. She had called him, asking for him to meet with her there. She sounded worried, panicked even on the phone. He wondered if it had anything to do with the way she had been acting at school.

' _She was really worked up, despite her efforts to say otherwise.'_ He thought. _'Something's very wrong here, I just hope…'_

Shaking his head he quickened his pace; heading for the park. He entered and looked around, smiling lightly, pausing as he spotted Shireen. Even amidst his concern for her, he couldn't help but marvel at her beauty; her hair which he loved to run his fingers through, the profile of her face, scarred with Greyscale scars, that still looked lovely to him. She was clad in rather nice black skinny jeans, a plain pale purple blouse and a black, sleeveless cardigan.

Rickon smiled again. _'As always; she doesn't wear those ridiculously short skirts those girls who keep bothering me wear, yet she is ten times lovelier than they are.'_

Clearing his throat and composing himself; reminding himself that Shireen called him because she needed his help with something. So he prepared himself and walked over to Shireen. As he drew closer he noticed that she looked just as worried as she had at school. Not only that, she looked paler than usual, her eyes lacked their usual sparkle that he had seen when they were dating.

Shireen looked up as he approached and her lips twitched in an attempt to smile. He sat down next to her and, after a brief pause, reached out. She responded and they took each other's hand, their fingers entwining. They sat in silence for a moment, until finally Rickon couldn't take the tension anymore.

"Shireen, what's up, what did you want to talk about?" He asked.

Shireen let out a shaky breath. "Rickon I…This is…"

She was breathing rapidly, Rickon squeezed her hand.

He did his best to calm her. "Hey, hey, deep breath, whatever's wrong, we can talk about it?"

"I'm sorry." She replied.

Rickon was confused by this; before Shireen then spoke again and Rickon gasped.

"I…I'm pregnant."

Rickon froze, eyes wide as he digested this information; suddenly Shireen's behaviour at school made sense, something else also made sense now too.

' _Beth said she was throwing up; Gods…morning sickness.'_ He realized; yet all he could manage to say was. "You're sure?"

He wanted to kick himself, it sounded so stupid.

Shireen broke down in tears as she choked out. "Yes…"

Rickon immediately hugged her tightly, doing his best to comfort her.

He shook his head; his words sounded so inadequate. "Oh Shireen, I'm so sorry."

"What are we gonna do?" She asked after calming down slightly.

"I…I don't know." He admitted. "But I'm here for you, no matter what."

Shireen stared at Rickon before smiling, relieved. "Thank you."

They kissed after that, Shireen feeling a lot better, knowing that Rickon would stand by her, no matter what.

They sat together on the bench, holding each other; Shireen finally got her tears under control.

"You mean it Rickon, you will stay with me?" She asked, her voice shaking still.

Rickon nodded. "Of course, no matter what. You want to keep the baby, adoption, whatever you choose, I'm here."

They sat in silence again after that, Shireen resting her head on Rickon's shoulder. Finally, she reached up and wiped away her tears, Rickon turned and kissed the top of her head, calming her further. They both considered, it was currently Friday; they had the whole weekend ahead of them to work out their plans.

Shireen sighed and made up her mind. "Rickon, I'm going to keep the baby."

Rickon nodded. "Alright, then I'm here with you. Now…"

"…We need to tell our families." Shireen finished, shuddering at the thought.

Rickon did his best to reassure her. But Shireen was nervous at the prospect; knowing her mother would not take it well at all. She didn't even know about her father and what his reaction would be. In the end, Rickon kissed her and they parted, both thinking about how to explain to their families.

When he returned home, Rickon noted his parents were sitting in the living room. He approached them, realizing they were waiting for him.

"Rickon?" Ned spoke as he saw him.

Rickon sighed. "Mum, dad, I…I have something important to tell you."

They shared a look before Ned then queried. "What is it?"

"You um…you remember Shireen, right?"

Cat nodded. "Yes, Stannis' daughter, your girlfriend."

Rickon nodded. "Yeah well, she's pregnant, it's mine."

The words just came out, he couldn't think of any way to build up to it; so he simply ended up blurting it out. His parents stared at him in shock; until finally his mother found her voice.

"What, pregnant?"

Rickon nodded; bracing himself for what would come next. "She, she wants to keep it, and I plan to stay with her."

"Gods, Rickon…" His father began.

Rickon tried to speak. "I know, I know…"

His mother however then spoke up. "Gods; you realize what you've done young man, you and Shireen had a bright future ahead of both of you, now you've put that on hold."

"Yeah, I know mum, but, but I don't want to abandon Shireen, I can't." He said firmly. "She's carrying my child; I refuse to give up on her."

Ned and Cat shared a look before turning back to Rickon.

"I understand what you're saying Rickon." Ned said at last. "This is a big responsibility however; are you sure you're ready for it."

Rickon bit his lip before replying. "I have to be."

Cat smiled and hugged her son. "I know we just lectured you Rickon, but truthfully, we are proud of you. You're doing the right thing, standing by Shireen."

It wasn't long after that; the rest of the family began to hear. With the exception of Arya and Gendry who had gone back home, rather than opt to stay for the night. Much like Ned and Cat, the family all seemed to feel the same way towards Rickon; they lectured him for being so irresponsible. However they were proud of him for standing up and sticking with Shireen. Rickon just hoped that things would get better, now that others knew, that there would be support for them both.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Sorry if things didn't seem as well as they usually did in the last chapter and this one, I've been distracted and worried as I had the dentists today (I have odontophobia or dental anxiety) and have just returned. Hopefully tomorrow's chapter will be better as I'll be more relaxed. However I do have another dentists appointment this Friday too; so Thursday and Friday, I might have trouble focusing, we'll see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 5 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, well, we can only wait and see.  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, here's your answer.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
CadeTheSlowpoke: I know that, doesn't help however and it's not something that goes away, it's just something I need to get used to, especially since I'm going back on Friday so they can do the other filling. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Veridissima: Thanks; glad you enjoyed it and liked their reactions, glad you liked Rickon and Shireen too :) I already do, even though I have to go back on Friday, I know exactly what's happening this time around; so that helps.  
wazzup11: Well, here we go, enjoy :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Shireen swallowed nervously, she was shaking all over, she was more nervous now than she had ever been in her life. She was going to inform her parents about her pregnancy. She had tried three times so far, but every time, she got as far as the living room door and chickened out. Her parents were in the living room together, although they couldn't be more distant if they tried.

On the third attempt, Shireen had managed to see into the room. Her father was watching the news on the television, her mother had immersed herself in her various books on R'hllor.

' _Honestly, if mum keeps this up she's going to start with her usual speeches and sermons again.'_ Shireen thought sadly. _'I don't think I could take it…Urgh, I can't…I have to…'_

Taking a deep breath, she headed downstairs again, trying once more to tell her parents the truth.

As she got closer she found herself trembling again. _'Oh Gods, oh Gods, oh Gods.'_

Shaking her head she composed herself and entered the living room. Almost immediately her parents turned to her, her mother glared as she observed Shireen's clothes; she hadn't changed since she spoke to Rickon in the park. Her mother clearly disapproved and Shireen nearly felt her resolve falter.

However she quickly composed herself again; she had to act before her mother started one of her usual speeches.

' _I have to speak now, or I'll miss my chance.'_ She told herself.

Seeing Shireen's expression, Stannis muted the TV and turned to her. Then, before Selyse could start, Shireen spoke.

"Mum, dad, I have to talk to you, it's important."

Selyse scowled at that, but Stannis looked concerned.

Finally Stannis replied. "What is it, Shireen?"

She looked from her father to her mother and back again. Finally, deciding that it would be safer to focus on her father, she had less chance of losing her nerve.

"It, it's about Rickon and me." She said; hearing her mother's sharp intake of breath.

Something else her mother disliked; her dating Rickon. She ignored her mother's reaction however and continued.

Taking a deep breath she continued. "We, well, I…We've recently become more, intimate and, and…Now I'm, I'm pregnant."

Stannis froze, eyes wide in shock; Selyse however was beside herself, leaping to her feet.

"You what!?" She screamed, rage etched into every feature.

Shireen shook her head. "Mum please, I…"

Selyse shook her head. "Please what, I knew that boy would lead you astray. I can't believe this; you're a pregnant, unmarried teenager! How could you do this, what in the name of the Lord of Light did I do to deserve such a disgraceful child!?"

It was just as Shireen feared, she knew her mother would react this way, but her father still said nothing.

Shireen bit her lip, wishing her father would react, would say something. As it was she was stuck trying to deal with her mother alone.

"Mum, enough of this Lord of Light…" She tried to calm her mother down.

Selyse wasn't listening however and snarled. "Now you blaspheme too, enough of this, come here Shireen."

Shireen bit her lip. "Mum, please…"

Selyse shook her head. "I won't stand for this, come here."

"Mum…"

But Selyse wouldn't listen, she suddenly grabbed Shireen's arm and dragged her out of the room. Shireen struggled against her mother's grip; she couldn't comprehend what her mother was doing, until she spoke again.

"This goes too far, you must be punished for this!"

At once Shireen panicked; she thought that her father being home would prevent this. Normally her mother wouldn't punish her the way she usually did, whenever her father was home. Her mother's punishments after all were painful and sometimes even harmful, as they consisted of her mother putting her over her knees and spanking her, sometimes on her underwear, sometimes, if she was feeling very angry, on her bare backside.

"Mum, no, please." She pleaded. "If you have to punish me fine, but not a spanking, please, think of the baby!"

Selyse growled. "I care nothing for that bastard!"

With that she began trying to force Shireen over her lap; Shireen struggled desperately and screamed.

She feared for the life of her unborn child; waiting for the pain to begin, all she could hear was her mother's voice.

"Such a disgraceful child; dressing inappropriately, showing the shape of your legs, dating that disrespectful boy." She was saying, clearly talking to herself now. "Letting him turn you from the right path, now pregnant I…"

"SELYSE!"

Shireen froze, as did her mother. Her father was standing there, glaring darkly.

"What do you think you are doing, unhand her." He said sharply.

Shireen took advantage of her mother's stunned state to wriggle free. She quickly crossed the room, away from her mother. She stood, trembling, she realized now her father knew what her mother was about to do.

"D-dad…" She choked out. "This, this wasn't the first time."

Selyse leapt to her feet. "How dare you Shireen, you ungrateful…"

Stannis however cut across her. "You hit our daughter, behind my back."

"She needs to be disciplined, punished, she…!"

"This isn't punishment." Stannis snarled. "This is abuse, I won't stand for it Selyse. You will not lay a hand on our daughter again."

Then Selyse spoke again and her words cut deep into Shireen's heart.

"That slut is not my daughter, not anymore, I will not let her disgrace me like this."

Her mother had just disowned her. She trembled; tears spilling over; she couldn't believe it. Was this it, what was she going to do now? She knew what this meant, her mother was throwing her out. But then, something she did not expect happened.

"Enough Selyse, you will not talk about Shireen like that." Stannis said sharply. "Before you start, no, I don't care what you say, Shireen is not going anywhere."

Selyse glowered and stalked out of the room.

That night Shireen lay in bed, crying uncontrollably, she could scarcely believe it. Following that horrible argument, Stannis refused to let Selyse have her way and refused to throw Shireen out. As a result, still intent on disowning her daughter, Selyse had left instead. While nothing official had happened yet, she knew only one thing was due to follow this, her parents would be divorced.

' _No matter what happens, I need, I need to stay with dad.'_ She thought sadly. _'But, but after all this…'_

She broke down again, unable to think about it anymore, blinded by tears. Suddenly, to her surprise, she felt herself being sat up and briefly, through the tears, saw her father, moments before he embraced her.

She let herself go, weeping into his shoulder. While awkward and uncertain, Stannis did his best to comfort his daughter. He knew this was very hard on her, her mother walking out, the impending divorce of her parents and being pregnant. Still he wasn't going to abandon her, he refused to leave his daughter to suffer alone.

* * *

End of chapter, poor Shireen, still, at least her father is there for her, read and review please.


	6. Chapter 6

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 6 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Marina Ka-Fai; Glad you like him :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, she is, still, at least Shireen has her father.  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah, he may not be good at showing it, but he does love his daughter.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks; yeah.  
CadeTheSlowpoke: Ah well, it's alright, just tomorrow's appointment and then that should be me, until the next check up. Glad you liked it, yeah, Selyse completely overreacted, but at least Stannis cares huh :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, yeah, it should be fine. Yeah, it was sad, but at least she had her father there for her.  
wazzup11: Yeah, too true :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Shireen sniffed and tried to wipe away another tear, she didn't want to be seen crying, not here, not in school. It was the day after that horrible incident, as she had feared, her parents were now in the midst of getting a divorce; although Selyse clearly meant it when she disowned Shireen, as there had been no mention of even attempting to claim custody of her.

Therefore, Shireen was relieved to learn she would be staying with her father, who supported her and still clearly loved her, in his own awkward uncertain way.

She smiled sadly as she remember how he had come to comfort her last night. _'Showing emotion isn't something that comes naturally to dad, but at least he tries, at least he cares.'_

She slowly brought her hands down to her still flat stomach before the tears came again.

"Shireen."

She started and looked up, biting her lip when she saw Beth standing in front of her.

"Beth, I…" She began, wondering what she even intended to say.

Beth shook her head however and sat down next to her, hugging her.

Beth then spoke quietly. "C'mon now, it's alright, I'm your friend."

Shireen felt a few more tears fall as she heard footsteps. She looked up and saw Rickon, Devan and Edric present too; all looking worried about her. Rickon immediately sat on her other side, taking her hands.

Shireen took a deep, shaky, breath. She was with friends, she was safe and could rest easy. They wouldn't judge her; they'd already proven that by accepting her and even offering to help her when she told them about her pregnancy.

So she looked up and explained. "I…I told my parents about, about me being pregnant. Just last night…"

She could see the way they exchanged worried looks, clearly concerned about her and was touched.

"I; I couldn't think of any way to say it, except to simply tell them straight, what happened." She continued. "Mum freaked out and went crazy; she, she said I was a disgrace."

There was no doubt about it, Rickon glared angrily, he knew all about Selyse's attitude, particularly towards Shireen, they all did. Shireen continued, explaining the things her mother berated her for. Rickon wasn't even surprised to find the woman had blamed him. She loathed him and would do anything to put him down.

He hesitated before asking. "Shireen, did she, I mean…?"

He didn't know how to put it, but she knew what he meant. Had her mother punished her, in her usual way? All four of them knew about that, with Devan and Edric also having the misfortune to experience it once themselves.

She shook her head. "No, no she didn't. She was going to, but, that's when dad snapped out of it and stopped her."

"Your dad helped you?" Devan asked, surprised.

"Yeah; he did, he and mum argued and, and mum left." Shireen explained sadly. "Now they're going to divorce…"

She couldn't get any more words out as the tears came again. They all did their best to comfort her, Shireen considered herself lucky to have such amazing and caring friends.

* * *

Later, as school was ending, Rickon and Shireen were making their way to the school gates. She pondered quietly for a moment before turning her head back towards Rickon.

"Rickon, I forgot to ask, what about your family, did you…?"

Rickon nodded. "Yeah, I told them, most of them know now…They, they all lectured me for being, irresponsible. But they're happy we're staying together, that I'm sticking with you. They'll support us."

Shireen nodded slowly. "That's better than what happened with me at least."

"Yeah, still, to hear the same lecture again and again…Even from Bran." Rickon commented.

Shireen gave a small laugh from that before asking. "Does everyone in your family know?"

Rickon paused briefly before admitted. "I don't know, Arya might not, she; she doesn't usually stay in touch as often as she used to."

Shireen nodded and then came up with an idea.

"Why don't we go see her, tell her ourselves?"

Rickon grinned. "That's a great idea."

By now they were outside and Shireen froze as she heard someone calling her name, it was her cousin, Joffrey Baratheon.

"So, if it isn't Shireen Baratheon, the little slut." He remarked with a grin.

Standing just behind Joffrey, glaring at him was his younger brother Tommen, whom Joffrey had come to pick up from school.

' _Likely bribed with money in some way.'_ Shireen thought as she glared at him. "What did you say, how dare you, you have no right to…"

Joffrey laughed. "Oh really, yet you're pregnant, at your age!?"

Shireen froze, horrified, Joffrey was shouting loud enough the whole school could hear him. She hadn't told anyone but her friends, yet now here she was, the truth being revealed and she was helpless to stop it.

"What a whore!" Joffrey taunted her before smirking at the enraged Rickon Stark. "Rickon, you better watch out, a desperate girl like Shireen, you don't even know if the baby is yours!"

Rickon snarled, Shireen felt tears in her eyes.

Just then a new voice cut in.

"Quit it, Joffrey, leave them alone."

Joffrey turned and sneered at the newcomer, Lancel Lannister, who had come to pick up his brothers, out of kindness and without bribes.

Joffrey sneered at him. "Well, well, here comes to protector of whores! Love must really make you blind Lancel, there's no way your little girlfriend, what's her name, Gatehouse Ami, is faithful to you."

Joffrey laughed as he saw Lancel glare, going red as Joffrey always had to bring up the unpleasant topic of Amerei Frey's past; something which she had endeavoured to put behind her when she started dating Lancel.

"Honestly, she could be sucking someone's dick right now and…"

Joffrey's tirade was cut short with a yelp of pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his nose. Lancel had punched him.

Lancel glared at Joffrey's prone form, growling angrily. "One word; ONE FUCKING SINGLE WORD AGAINST AMEREI, and I hit you again! And leave Shireen alone! No matter the circumstances, this is a happy event so if you have nothing nice to say, shut the fuck up!"

There where whispers from those present, all of them impressed by Lancel's actions.

* * *

Later Rickon smiled, still remembering that incident as he and Shireen knocked on the door to Arya and Gendry's apartment. Arya herself answered the door; smiling as she saw them.

"Hey you guys, good to see you, come in." She said cheerfully.

They stepped inside and Rickon noted Arya was holding a couple of tools in her hand; he quirked an eyebrow and Arya explained.

"I was just fixing Nym's crib; c'mon though; she and Gendry are in the living room."

They followed Arya through and saw Gendry was feeding Nymeria as she sat in her high chair. Seeing Rickon Nymeria grinned and waved.

"Unca Rick!"

Rickon laughed and greeted her. "Hi Nymeria."

They sat down and then Gendry spoke up. "So, what brings you guys here, we weren't expecting any visitors today?"

The two shared a looked before finally explaining their story to Arya and Gendry, not missing out a single detail. Arya and Gendry listened intently, both quite surprised. Finally, Arya approached them and hugged them both.

"Damn guys, you've been through a lot, but it's great you're sticking together." She said at last. "I'm here for you, we both are."

Gendry nodded yet Rickon was surprised. "What, no lecture, no comment?"

Arya shook her head. "No, I support you guys whole heartedly; I know what it's like after all…to be a young mother."

Shireen smiled gratefully at Arya, knowing this to be true.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	7. Chapter 7

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 7, skipping forward a few months here, hope you enjoy it.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin; Thanks, glad you liked him :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thought you'd like him :)  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
CadeTheSlowpoke1: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, including that moment.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked those moments :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Shireen sighed as she sat in the Stark's house. Her hand rested on the swell of her stomach; it had been a few months since her pregnancy had become known and now she was finally over the morning sickness and some of the other issues. Instead she was now plagued by back pain, had difficulty standing up and sitting down; her feet felt far too big also.

Yet she had a more immediate concern, as it was one that could be addressed right away. She needed new clothes, ones better suited to her growing stomach and such. So it was that she ended up at the Stark house, intending to ask for help. She knew Arya would be up visiting her family, Gendry meanwhile had gone to visit his mother, taking Nymeria with him.

She had intended to ask Arya for help, knowing Arya had experience after all. Sansa however had overheard and was offering to come too, not only that, she also offered to pay.

Shireen bit her lip at that. "Are you sure, I mean, it could get expensive?"

Sansa shook her head, still smiling. "Don't worry about I, my job pays well and Pod even added a little something, he wanted to help out too."

Shireen glanced over at Arya who was rolling her eyes before smiling and subtly nodding.

"Alright, I…Thank you." Shireen said at last with a small smile.

Sansa grinned as the girls made plans for their shopping trip.

While the girls were talking, Catelyn stood in the doorway, watching them. She smiled sadly; it was good to see all her family rallying around Shireen. Not just in regards to her pregnancy, but also her difficulties in dealing with her parents' divorce.

"This will be great Shireen." Sansa was saying with a bright smile. "You deserve to have pretty clothes and nowadays, maternity clothes are so cute."

Arya shook her head and added a practical answer. "Comfy too, designed to accommodate all the changes."

Sansa nodded in agreement and Shireen smiled.

Sansa then turned to Arya. "I'm glad you're coming Arya; rather than just giving advice. I know you don't usually enjoy shopping…"

Arya shrugged casually. "You could use my help, my experience."

Catelyn bit her lip as she observed her youngest daughter, her gaze shifting to Shireen and then back to Arya.

' _Poor Shireen, the way her mother treated her, how could a mother want to throw out her child, to disown her child, just because she ended up pregnant at a young age.'_ She thought sadly; before choking back tears at the horrible realization. _'Oh Gods, what I did to Arya was as bad as what Selyse did. My own daughter, I never threw her out or disowned her, but I should have been there for her. To hold her hand, to let her know I would always be there, that I would always love her…We've been estranged ever since, because I didn't do that.'_

Catelyn sighed sadly as she recalled that time.

Looking back she was thoroughly ashamed of her behaviour.

' _I should have been there for her, for my daughter, but what did I do instead?'_ She thought bitterly. _'I shouted at her, scowled whenever Gendry was around, judged them both…Arya's never forgiven me for it, and I can't seem to let it go.'_

She bowed her head. _'I abandoned my own child in her time of need and never tried to fix things, in a way, I still am abandoning her.'_

She looked up and realized the girls were getting ready. Taking a deep breath she prepared herself, she was determined that no longer was this going to overshadow things. She had to set things right.

"Arya."

The girls all turned, seeing Catelyn there for the first time.

Arya looked surprised; normally neither of them started a conversation with each other.

"Yeah mum?" She asked.

Cat sighed before asking. "Could I have a word in private for a moment?"

Even more confused, yet also curious, Arya nodded and headed through to the kitchen with her mother. Once in the kitchen Arya sat down, she observed her mother who remained standing, just in front of her.

"So, what is it?" She asked after an awkward pause.

Cat sighed before looking Arya in the eyes. "I wanted to say, I am so sorry Arya."

Arya blinked at that, confused. "Sorry?"

"For the way I acted, during your pregnancy." Cat explained. "For what I did to you and Gendry, the way I treated you both, for what I still do…"

Arya bowed her head, realizing what her mother meant.

She tried to think how best to respond, but then her mother spoke again.  
"Seeing what happened with Shireen and Selyse, it made me realize…I made the same mistakes."

Arya shook her head quickly. "What, mum, no, you didn't. You didn't throw me out, disown me, you…"

Cat however then choked out. "I did worse. I should have been there for you, and I wasn't. I should have been a mother, loving, not judgemental."

Arya shook her head, determined to explain things. "Mum, listen, looking back, I understand what your point was back then. I don't agree, but I understand, I knew why you acted the way you did."

Catelyn started at that.

Arya then continued. "You just wanted me to have my best chance at life and were afraid Nymeria would hold me back, because of my age. I can't say I wasn't hurt, because I was. But I knew then, and I know now, despite how cold things may seem. I never doubted for one second that you loved me. As I wish you could never doubt, for one second, that I love you."

"Arya…" Cat breathed; tears in her eyes.

Relieved at Arya's forgiveness Cat hugged her youngest daughter, with Arya returning the hug. Finally, the barriers that had been there were gone, now they could look forward to rebuilding their relationship; making it better. Knowing however that Shireen and Sansa would be waiting, Catelyn let go and said farewell as Arya joined them and they headed out to go shopping for Shireen's maternity clothes.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Well, the past two chapters may have seemed a bit, distracted, but again, I have been preparing for another dentist appointment, luckily this should be the last one until my next check-up, so, shouldn't have this issue again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 8 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **wazzup11: Yeah but, she's managing, she has help after all.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah; it's good, they've finally resolved their issues.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked them, I feel there isn't enough scenes showing the two of them as mother and daughter.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
CadeTheSlowpoke1: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, especially that moment :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Catelyn smiled at the look on Ned's face, a mixture of happiness and awkwardness. It had been years since she had last seen it. Following her and Arya's reconciliation; Cat had noticed a definite change in her youngest daughter, and her husband, they visited and called more often for starters. None of that guarded tension was present anymore; even Nymeria, as if sensing this change, was happier.

Thinking of her granddaughter brought Catelyn back to the current moment. The reason for that look on Ned's face. Arya and Gendry were out for the day and so, Cat and Ned had volunteered to babysit Nymeria for them. Right now Ned was sitting, with Nymeria on his lap, reading to her.

' _The last time he looked like that was when Rickon was a baby.'_ Cat remembered fondly.

She joined her husband and granddaughter, who smiled and waved at her as she sat down. Catelyn smiled back as Ned continued reading the story to Nymeria.

She thought about Nymeria and how she had changed things. _'Even though things were still cold between and Arya and I then, when Nymeria was born, we just loved her immediately. I suppose it took a while to sink in; we are grandparents and rightfully proud of our granddaughter.'_

It was due to this that, during Arya and Gendry's occasional visits, Ned and Cat practically doted on Nymeria. It had been Nymeria's unconditional love and innocence which had prevented Arya from becoming completely disconnected from them. Therefore, Nymeria was truly the one responsible for the reconciliation at last.

It wasn't long afterwards that Nymeria's eyelids began to droop, but she fought to stay awake.

Cat shook her head. "You're tired Nymeria; you should sleep."

Nymeria pouted. "No sleep."

Both Ned and Cat laughed; noting how much like her mother Nymeria was. They had dealt with this exact same issue when Arya was two.

"C'mon now Nym…" Ned began.

She pouted again, then a new voice joined in.

"May I?"

They looked up and smiled when they saw Shireen standing there, a hand resting on the swell of her stomach, now six months pregnant. They thanked her and Shireen gently took the two year old girl in her arms and began cradling her.

They both watched Shireen, smiling as Nymeria gave a sleepy smile to the Shireen, her head resting against the young lady's shoulder. Shireen had been helping them take care of Nymeria and had even been over to Arya and Gendry's place a lot, taking care of her.

Taking care of Nymeria was in fact beneficial to Shireen, helping her with practice for when her own baby arrived. Rickon stepped into the room at that point and smiled lightly. Catching his parent's eyes he nodded before heading over to join Shireen and Nymeria.

Ned and Cat sat together, watching Rickon and Shireen happily as they cared for Nymeria, rocking her to sleep; gently singing to her.

"They've come so far, both of them." Ned remarked softly.

Cat nodded. "Indeed; I'm very proud of them both; they'll make excellent parents."

They both smiled at that; carefully observing Shireen, she seemed to be happier now; things seemed to have calmed down a lot for her.

Cat sighed gently before speaking. "Shireen especially has changed, so much, after everything that's happened with her."

"I know." Ned replied. "However; hard though it has been, she has come through this stronger. She's definitely not the shy awkward young girl Rickon introduced us to anymore."

Cat smiled at that; both of them silently agreeing that such a change was a good thing. Finally Nymeria dropped off to sleep and Shireen smiled softly before saying something quietly to Rickon. He nodded and Shireen left the room, going to put Nymeria in her crib. Rickon came over to his parents.

"Hey mum, dad."

They both smiled and Ned spoke. "We're proud of you Rickon, proud of you both; you're going to do great, I can tell."

Rickon smiled at that. "Thanks dad."

"So, how is Shireen; has she been okay?" Cat asked worriedly. "I mean, her parents' divorce has just been finalized and…"

Rickon nodded. "I know, she seems alright; I think she's managed to get used to the fact that it happened. She's more worried about the baby than anything right now however."

The two adults nodded; understanding what Rickon meant; soon Shireen returned and Rickon went to her, kissing her gently. All four occupants of the house enjoyed the peace.

Finally, sometime later, Arya and Gendry returned; they smiled as they spotted the four, all seated together. Nymeria was awake again and sitting in her grandmother's lap; she smiled widely when she saw her parents.

"Mama, dada!" She cried out, reaching for them.

Everybody smiled and Catelyn carried Nymeria over to her parents, Arya taking her daughter and cradling her close.

"Thanks for this mum, all of you." Arya said happily.

Cat smiled and nodded. "It was no trouble."

She glanced over at Shireen and Rickon meaningfully. Arya noticed this and grinned, nodding.

"Great work you guys." Arya said to them. "You did great."

They both blushed at that but thanked her. Soon Arya and Gendry left, promising to come by tomorrow. Ned and Cat left the room too. Shireen and Rickon sat together, kissing lightly before Shireen spoke.

"I better get ready to go too; I told dad I'd be home in time for dinner." She remarked.

Rickon smirked. "He gotten used to Dornish food yet?"

Shireen laughed at that, part of her pregnancy involved cravings, in her case, cravings for Dornish food. It was clear, much to Rickon's relief that his assumption had been right. Shireen seemed to have finally come to terms with her parents' divorce. Now it seemed all they had to wait for was the birth of their child.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. Chapter 9

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 9 of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **wazzup11: Thanks, glad you enjoyed.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks :)  
CadeTheSlowpoke1: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, and little mistake there, it's Dornish food.  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; glad you liked them :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, um, you obviously didn't read it right, her parents are divorced, this was Shireen coming to terms with it.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Shireen sighed as she rested a hand on her stomach; she had just finished with her dinner. She could hardly believe how much time had passed; now she was in the ninth month of her pregnancy, the baby was due any day.

' _This is it, I can do this…Rickon and I are ready for this.'_ She thought to herself. _'Oh, if only mum could be here, but she's made her point clear, that's why mum and dad divorced in the first place.'_

In truth, while she missed her mother, Shireen had come to terms with her not being around. Things just weren't the same between her parents and then there were the punishments, Shireen was glad to see the back of them. She was sure Devan and Edric were too, despite only suffering them once. Following that she was determined to protect the boys, ensuring that they never met up at her house.

She shook her head. _'Yet the boys didn't like that, felt it wasn't fair; but I was trying to protect them, so mum wouldn't punish them for the slightest thing again.'_

Yet now, now there was no problem with the boys coming around, much to Shireen's relief, it made things easier. Shireen sighed and quickly pushed those thoughts away however; not wanting to dwell on sad memories.

When she went to try and stand up however, she felt it; a sudden pain that gradually got worse. She yelped and nearly collapsed.

"Oh Gods!" She cried out desperately.

Hearing her, Stannis came rushing into the room.

"Shireen, are you…?" He gasped.

Shireen grit her teeth before replying. "The baby, dad, the baby's coming."

Stannis immediately hurried forwards and took her arm. "Alright, just hold on, I'll get you to the hospital."

Shireen nodded, groaning in pain and allowed her father to lead her out to the car. The journey was a haze for Shireen, engulfed in the pain and praying for her baby's safety, that things would go well. Before she even registered it, she was in the hospital, lying back on the bed, waiting while the midwife examined her.

She barely heard the midwife tell her she'd be back to check up on her again later. Her father remained by her side, doing his best to keep her calm. Just then the door opened and Rickon entered.

"Shireen."

She smiled. "You made it."

Rickon hurried over, taking her other hand. "Of course I did."

It was then Shireen spotted the others just outside. Arya gave her a nod of encouragement and she smiled back. She could do this, she could bear it, she would have this baby.

As they sat outside the room, Gendry and Arya could hear Shireen as she made her way through the painful process of labour. They both shared a glance, remembering when they had done the same.

"It shouldn't be much longer now." Arya remarked softly. "Soon we'll have a little niece or nephew."

Gendry nodded, smiling. "Yeah, a little cousin for Nymeria."

As he said that, they both looked over at their daughter; who was currently sitting on Bran's lap, asleep. Both of them smirked as they noticed how content Bran looked as he sat there. They saw the smile on Meera's face too.

Arya laughed quietly. "I know logically it should be Robb, or Sansa, who have kids next. But really, how long do you think it will be, before Bran and Meera have one?"

Gendry laughed too. "You have a good point."

Just then however the doors to Shireen's room opened and they all turned as they saw the midwife and Rickon and Stannis. Arya knew right away what was happening; Shireen was being taken through to the delivery room, she was at the final part. Seeing the others expressions she nodded to them and spoke.

"This is it, won't be long now." She told them.

They all nodded and began waiting in anticipation. Arya had noted how pale Rickon looked and hoped the excitement and nerve racking experience wasn't too much for him. She recalled that during Nymeria's birth, Gendry had nearly fainted. She didn't want that to happen to her brother.

They continued to wait for news, knowing now that the baby would be born soon. Those that had been sleepy were now very alert. Nymeria even woke up at that moment and, hearing her cousin would be here soon, she was wide awake. She crossed the room, heading back to her mother's lap. Arya smiled as she held her daughter still. She wondering what Shireen was thinking just now.

' _I was so scared when I was giving birth, afraid I'd be a terrible mother. I wasn't exactly parent material I thought.'_ She recalled. _'But, then it became clear, nobody is a perfect parent, perfect parents don't exist. You do the best you can.'_

She smiled over at her mother, happy at their new closeness, especially since despite still having lingering fears of her parenting abilities, Catelyn had reassured Arya she was doing great. Later the midwife appeared and spoke.

"You can come see her now, she has done it." She said. "She's given birth, it's a boy."

The group all smiled and made their way through. Shireen was sitting upright in the bed, her face covered in sweat, she looked exhausted but happy as she cradled a small blanket wrapped bundle in her arms. Rickon was grinning widely as he sat by her side, even Stannis was smiling.

"Hey." Shireen said; her voice soft. "Come and meet Rickard."

They grinned at Shireen's choice of name for the baby, after Rickon's grandfather. They all approached, smiling as they saw the baby boy. It was hard to tell if his blue eyes were from Shireen or Rickon but he had a small tuft of black hair on top of his head, inherited from Shireen and his facial features were undeniably Rickon's.

Arya's words summed up all their thoughts. "He's perfect."

The others all smiled as they gathered around, welcoming little Rickard into the world.

Meanwhile, standing outside the room, looking in, was Selyse. She bit her lip a she observed her daughter, the bright smile on her face, the way she cradled her child in her arms.

' _Gods, Shireen, I…'_ She thought sadly.

She watched for a moment longer before, sadly, turning and walking away.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	10. Chapter 10

**Game of Thrones: An Unexpected Bundle of Joy**

Chapter 10 of my Game of Thrones story, just a short epilogue to round things off, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah, it was sweet, yeah, poor Selyse; she can't help but feel guilty.  
wazzup11: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Veridissima: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you liked him :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah, it's pretty hard on her actually, but she has admitted the truth. Well, wait and see.  
CadeTheSlowpoke1: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it all :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thank you :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Shireen smiled as she sat cradling her son; little Rickard snoozed peacefully in his mother's arms. It had been at least a week since the birth of her son and she was gradually adjusting to the changes. She was grateful for all the practice she had been able to get with Nymeria. As she sat cradling Rickard she heard the door open and looked up. She smiled as Rickon entered, although her smile dropped slightly as she noticed Rickon's confused expression.

"Rickon, what's wrong?" She asked concerned.

He looked up at her and she noticed what he was holding, a letter and a stuffed wolf plush toy.

"A plush toy and…a letter, a letter from your mother."

Shireen gasped and listened as Rickon read out the letter. She smiled as he finished, realizing what it was; it was a peace offering; her mother had changed her mind. She smiled, hopeful that this was the beginning of a hopeful change; that things would finally improve, that her mother could hopefully still be part of her life.

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End of chapter and of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


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